Practicing the (un)healthy = tasty intuition: Toward an ecological view of the relationship between health and taste in consumer judgments

Recent research has provided some first indications that not all consumers apply an unhealthy = more tasty heuristic when judging the healthiness and tastiness of food products. To address the question of whether and when consumers perceive food in accordance with unhealthy = tasty or healthy = tasty views, we conducted two studies in two European countries with consumers who were stratified along important demographic characteristics. In both studies, we presented participants with a random sample of real food products from two product categories available at a large supermarket chain. We hypothesized a positive relationship between subjective healthiness and tastiness judgments, which we assume has its bases in an evolutionary mechanism, personal consumption experiences and consumption trends. Our results consistently revealed the expected positive association between subjective healthiness and tastiness judgments across participants, countries, and products. However, the magnitude and valence of this relationship varied across product categories and depended on differences in the extents to which consumers believed in the unhealthy = tasty intuition, were interested in health, and exhibited a food pleasure orientation.     

Effect of a health reminder on consumers’ selection of ultra-processed foods in a supermarket

Consumers report difficulties when trying to make healthy food choices in supermarkets due to environmental cues that favour the acquisition of unhealthy food items. This study’s objective was to investigate food selection in a supermarket to prepare a last minute meal by consumers with different levels of health consciousness. In an experimental design, 50 high (HHC) and 50 low health conscious (LHC) participants (n = 100) were told to choose all food items to prepare a meal for themselves plus a guest. For half the participants (25 HHC and 25 LHC), the expression ‘healthy meal’ was embedded in the instruction. To evaluate shopping healthfulness, foods selected by the participants were categorized according to level of industrial processing in Unprocessed/Minimally Processed (U/MP); Processed Culinary Ingredient (PCI); Processed (P), or Ultra-Processed (UP). The health reminder positively affected the choices of HHC and LHC individuals. Results indicate that placing reminders of healthy eating in shopping environments where P and UP foods sales are heavily promoted, such as supermarkets, can be a useful tool to promote healthy choices in accordance with what is recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population.     

The potential application of plant essential oils as natural food preservatives in soft cheese

Investigations were carried out to assess the efficiency of four plant essential oils; bay, clove, cinnamon and thyme as natural food preservatives. The effect of the plant essential oils at concentrations of 0·1, 0·5 and 1% was studied in low-fat and full-fat soft cheese against Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enteritidis at 4° and 10°C respectively, over a 14-day period. The composition of the cheese was shown to be an important factor in determining the effectiveness of the plant essential oils. In the low-fat cheese, all four oils at 1% reduced L. monocytogenes to ≤1·0 log₁₀cfu ml⁻¹. In contrast, in the full-fat cheese, oil of clove was the only oil to achieve this reduction. Oil of thyme proved ineffective against S. enteritidis in the full-fat cheese, yet was equally as effective as the other three oils in the low-fat cheese, reducing S. enteritidis to ≤1·0 log₁₀cfu ml⁻¹from day 4 onwards. It is concluded that selected plant essential oils can act as potent inhibitors of L. monocytogenes and S. enteritidis in a food product.     

凝乳工艺对功能性低脂干酪中活菌数的影响

活菌数是功能性低脂干酪的重要指标,本文就凝乳工艺过程对功能性低脂干酪活菌数的影响进行了研究,旨在通过控制凝乳工艺过程参数而使干酪最终活菌数达到功能性食品的标准。通过对单因素实验和正交实验研究与分析,结果表明:凝乳酶添加量0.01%,凝乳温度35℃,凝乳pH值为6.2,CaCl2添加量0.03%,干酪活菌数均能达到107mL-1,符合功能性低脂干酪的活菌数要求,能够获得较为理想的实验效果。     

Influence of fat replacers on chemical composition, proteolysis, texture profiles, meltability and sensory properties of low-fat Kashar cheese

Changes in chemical composition, proteolysis, lipolysis, texture, melting and sensory properties of low-fat Kashar cheese made with three different fat replacers (Simplesse D-100, Avicel Plus CM 2159 or beta-glucan) were investigated throughout ripening. The low-fat cheeses made with fat replacers were compared with full- and low-fat counterparts as controls. Reduction of fat caused increases in moisture and protein contents and decreases in moisture-in-non fat substance and yield values in low-fat cheeses. The use of fat replacers in the manufacture of low-fat Kashar cheese increased water binding capacity and improved overall quality of the cheeses. Use of fat replacer in low-fat cheese making has enhanced cheese proteolysis. All samples underwent lipolysis during ripening and low-fat cheeses with fat replacers had higher level of total free fatty acid than full- or low-fat control cheeses. Texture attributes and meltability significantly increased with addition of fat replacers. Sensory scores showed that the full-fat cheese was awarded best in all stages of ripening and low-fat variant of Kashar cheeses have inferior quality. However, fat replacers except beta-glucan improved the appearance, texture and flavour attributes of low-fat cheeses. When the fat replacers are compared, the low-fat cheese with Avicel Plus CM 2159 was highly acceptable and had sensory attributes closest to full-fat Kashar cheese.     

Effect of fructans-based fat replacer on chemical composition, starch digestibility and sensory acceptability of corn snacks

To develop a convenience healthy food snack the partially hydrogenated vegetable fat, used as the flavour fixative agent, was replaced by a non-fat-flavouring solution enriched with inulin and oligofructose. The effects of this replacement on chemical composition, in vitro rate of starch digestion and sensory acceptability were assessed. The new snack presented low-fat levels (0.1%) and around a sevenfold increase in dietary fibre (15.3% of dietary fibre, being 13.3% of fructans) when compared with the traditional ones. The enrichment with fructans reduced the predicted Glycaemic Index by 25%, thus indicating that this dietary fibre contributes effectively towards delaying the in vitro glycaemic response. Fructans-enriched snack presented overall acceptability score (6.6 ± 1.7) similar to the traditional one, flavoured with fatty fixative agent (7.4 ± 1.4). The healthy low-fat fibre-enriched snack produced presented the high sensory acceptability typical for this food product type.     

干酪制品减脂的必要性及研究进展

随着人们饮食结构的不断改变,低脂干酪越来越受到消费者的关注。然而低脂干酪质地坚硬、咀嚼性差、风味不及全脂干酪。脂肪替代品可以替代脂肪产生润滑口感,改善低脂干酪质地结构缺陷,提高低脂干酪品质。为了更进一步了解脂肪替代品在干酪中的作用及研究进展,从得率、色泽、质构、风味及功能特性等方面,概述了不同类型脂肪替代物在低脂干酪中的应用及品质改善作用,提出了低脂干酪未来发展方向,旨在为推动我国低脂干酪产业发展提供参考。     

Whiteness change during heating and cooling of Mozzarella cheese

Whiteness (L-value) changes in low-fat and low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheeses during heating (7 to 60 degrees C) and cooling (60 to 7 degrees C) were evaluated. In low-fat Mozzarella, a large increase in whiteness was observed during heating, and a decrease in whiteness was observed during cooling. In low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella, the whiteness changes during heating and cooling were smaller. Serum phase was removed from low-fat and low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheeses. White protein gels were formed when the isolated serum phase from either low-fat or low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella was heated. The white gel that formed was composed predominantly of casein and casein proteolysis products. The gel might have been produced by heat-induced, hydrophobic protein-protein interactions, and it tended to dissociate when cooled. Formation of a gel during heating increased light scattering, which increased the L-value. The gel dissociated during cooling and no longer scattered light, which decreased the L-value. We hypothesized that a gel, which was reversible, formed in the serum phase of cheese during heating and might have been responsible for the observed changes in the L-value of low-fat Mozzarella cheese during heating and cooling. The additional fat in low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella compared with low-fat Mozzarella masked some of the color changes in the serum phase of low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella. A model was developed to describe the contributions of the casein matrix plus serum phase of Mozzarella cheese and the contribution of fat to the changes in whiteness of Mozzarella cheese during heating and cooling.     

A new approach to product set selection and segmentation in preference mapping

A common problem in food product development is to identify the consumers’ drivers of liking and to understand in what way they relate to the acceptance data. Usually, one will also be interested in identifying segments of consumers. The main objective of this study was to investigate the use of fuzzy clustering within the area of preference mapping when different consumer groups test different sets of products. A case study on low-fat cheese was used to explore and illustrate the proposed approach. Two groups of 57 and 58 consumers, respectively, participated in the consumer test. Based on sensory profiling, different cheese products evenly distributed in the sensory space were selected for each group. Each consumer rated their acceptance based on a blind tasting of six cheeses. One of the segments was identified to have a linear preference pattern, while the other two had non-linear patterns.     

Improvement in melting and baking properties of low-fat Mozzarella cheese

Low-fat cheeses dehydrate too quickly when baked in a forced air convection oven, preventing proper melting on a pizza. To overcome this problem, low-fat Mozzarella cheese was developed in which fat is released onto the cheese surface during baking to prevent excessive dehydration. Low-fat Mozzarella cheese curd was made with target fat contents of 15, 30, 45, and 60 g/kg using direct acidification of the milk to pH 5.9 before renneting. The 4 portions of cheese curd were comminuted and then mixed with sufficient glucono-δ-lactone and melted butter (45, 30, 15, or 0 g/kg, respectively), then pressed into blocks to produce low-fat Mozzarella cheese with about 6% fat and pH 5.2. The cheeses were analyzed after 15, 30, 60, and 120 d of storage at 5°C for melting characteristics, texture, free oil content, dehydration performance, and stretch when baked on a pizza at 250°C for 6 min in a convection oven. Cheeses made with added butter had higher stretchability compared with the control cheese. Melting characteristics also improved in contrast to the control cheese, which remained in the form of shreds during baking and lacked proper melting. The cheeses made with added butter had higher free oil content, which correlated (R² ≥ 0.92) to the amount of butterfat added, and less hardness and gumminess compared with the control low fat cheese.     

Texture of low-fat Iranian White cheese as influenced by gum tragacanth as a fat replacer

The effect of different concentrations of gum tragacanth on the textural characteristics of low-fat Iranian White cheese was studied during ripening. A batch of full-fat and 5 batches of low-fat Iranian White cheeses with different gum tragacanth concentrations (without gum or with 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, or 1 g of gum/kg of milk) were produced to study the effects of fat content reduction and gum concentration on the textural and functional properties of the product during ripening. Cheese samples were analyzed with respect to chemical, color, and sensory characteristics, rheological parameters (uniaxial compression and small-amplitude oscillatory shear), and microstructure. Reducing the fat content had an adverse effect on cheese yield, sensory characteristics, and the texture of Iranian White cheese, and it increased the instrumental hardness parameters (i.e., fracture stress, elastic modulus, storage modulus, and complex modulus). However, increasing the gum tragacanth concentration reduced the values of instrumental hardness parameters and increased the whiteness of cheese. Although when the gum concentration was increased, the low-fat cheese somewhat resembled its full-fat counterpart, the interaction of the gum concentration with ripening time caused visible undesirable effects on cheese characteristics by the sixth week of ripening. Cheeses with a high gum tragacanth concentration became very soft and their solid texture declined somewhat.     

Impact of Fat Replacers on the Rheological,Tribological, and Aroma Release Properties of Reduced-Fat Model Emulsion Systems and Processed Cheese

Due to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity and their associated health problems, the demand for low-calorie and low-fat foods is growing worldwide, especially in the fast food and convenience sectors. However, fat- or calorie-reduced products are often accompanied by sensory deficiencies. Although fat reduction in foods has been addressed in literature, an ideal fat replacer has not been identified due to the variety of fats, their multifarious functions in foods, and the wide range of food products. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of selected fat replacers on the properties of reduced-fat model emulsion systems and processed cheese. The use of dietary fibers as fat replacers was of particular interest due to their intrinsic health benefits. In addition, both new and established methods of measurement of sensory attributes were applied and compared to determine correlations of findings between different methods of measurement. Chapter 1 addresses the influence of fat replacers on attributes such as energy density, flowability, and firmness in a real food product, processed cheese. To this end, microparticulated whey protein (MWP), which has been widely used as a fat replacer, and three dietary fibers (corn dextrin (CD), inulin, and polydextrose), were used in reduced-fat processed cheese slices. A reduction in energy density of about 30 to 40% was achieved using a fat replacer compared to standard commercial full-fat processed cheese. Higher CD and inulin concentrations reduced the flowability of the cheese slices upon heating, but only had a minor impact on the firmness of the unheated cheese. The addition of MWP resulted in firmer cheese slices with higher flowability compared to the other fat replacers. However, changes in the MWP concentration had little effect on either property. The results demonstrated that different fat replacers with varying concentrations need to be applied to achieve desired attributes for specific conditions of use, e.g., unheated cheese in sandwiches or heated cheese in cheeseburgers. To evaluate newly developed reduced-fat foods, the impact of fat replacers on sensory properties and aroma release also needs to be investigated, which is addressed in chapters 2 to 4. Due to the complex composition of cheese, systematic investigation of the mode of action of fat replacers is difficult. Therefore, emulsion-based model foods were used to eliminate interfering factors and natural variations of ingredients. The second study (chapter 2) focused on developing and validating appropriate methods to investigate the effects of fat, fat reduction and the use of fat replacers on emulsion systems. Tribology, a comparatively new method in food research, was used to instrumentally analyze selected aspects of food mouthfeel. Reduced-fat salad mayonnaises were prepared as separate samples containing different CD concentrations, and characterized using textural, rheological and tribological analyses together with measures of spreadability and human-sensory analysis. The results showed a very high correlation between tribological measurements and the sensory evaluation of the attribute stickiness. In addition, it was shown that some correlations between instrumental and sensory data were best described by a non-linear correlation (Stevens’ power law), such as the relationship between Texture Analyzer measurements and sensory sensations of firmness. Furthermore, the Kokini oral shear stress correlated very well with the sensory attribute creaminess. Hence, the instrumental analytical methods used showed the potential to predict elements of the sensory analysis and reduce the overall analytical effort. While aroma release plays a key role in consumer acceptance, the influence of fat replacers on this attribute has rarely been studied. The third study (chapter 3) therefore investigated not only techno-functional properties but also the release of typical cheese aromas using a liquid emulsion as a model food. While both MWP and CD exhibited a retarding effect on the release of lipophilic aroma compounds, MWP also reduced the release of hydrophilic aroma compounds. It was also shown that aroma release is not only influenced by a change in viscosity, but also by interactions between aroma compounds and fat replacers. In this context, CD exhibited a similar ability to interact with aroma compounds as fat, which is desirable for the development of low-fat foods. In the final study (chapter 4), the findings and methods developed in chapters 1-3 of this work, supplemented with additional methods, were used to investigate the effect of fat reduction and CD concentration on a model processed cheese spread (PCS). By replacing 50% of fat completely with CD, the fat content of the PCS could be reduced without causing any significant changes in properties compared to the full-fat version, e.g. in firmness, flowability upon heating and aroma release. CD was determined to be a promising fat replacer, mimicking important properties of fat. Additional correlations, such as those between the parameters of Winter's critical gel theory (gel strength and interaction factor) and spreadability and lubrication properties were identified and can help to further reduce the analytical effort. In conclusion, CD has been confirmed as a promising fat replacer in both liquid and semi-solid food emulsion products. Furthermore, this work contributes to closing the research gap in the instrumental measurement of sensory attributes by outlining correlations, for example, between tribological methods and mouthfeel sensations. Thus, the evaluation tools of this work can help to assess the potential applications of new fat replacers without extensive application and sensory testing which significantly shortens the development time for food manufacturers. In addition, the results contribute to a better understanding of the interactions between fat, fat replacers and aroma compounds in food matrices. This facilitates the systematic development of reduced-fat processed cheese and other dairy- and emulsion-based products which meet consumer preferences and accelerate the trend towards healthy eating.     

The influence of acute partial sleep deprivation on liking,choosing and consuming high- and low-energy foods

A wealth of cross-sectional studies found a link between sleep deprivation and food-related outcomes like energy intake and BMI. Recent experimental studies suggest that this link is causal. However, the mechanisms through which sleep deprivation influences intake remain unclear. Here, we tested two prevailing hypotheses: that sleep deprivation leads to 1) increased food reward sensitivity and 2) decreased food-related self-control.In a within-subject study (n = 60 normal-weight females), we compared outcome measures under normal sleep and partial sleep deprivation conditions. Our outcome measures were 1) proxies for food reward sensitivity – liking of high and low energy foods, 2) binary food choices ranging in level of self-control conflict, and 3) intake of high and low energy foods. Eye-movements during food choice were measured with an eye-tracker to gain insights in implicit food choice processes.Food reward sensitivity outcomes showed a lower liking of low energy foods after partial sleep deprivation. More high energy foods were chosen after partial sleep deprivation independent of the level of self-control conflict. Intake of high energy foods was higher in the partial sleep deprivation condition. Lastly, the number of gaze switches between high and low energy foods, an implicit measure of conflict in choice, was lower in the high-conflict trials after sleep deprivation than after a normal night sleep.To conclude, the increased intake of high energy foods after sleep deprivation may be driven by a decreased liking of low energy foods, rather than an increased liking of high energy foods. Further, sleep deprivation may affect self-control conflict detection as indicated by a lower number of gaze switches between food options.     

Comparison of full-fat and low-fat cheese analogues with or without pectin gel through microstructure, texture, rheology, thermal and sensory analysis

The effects of pectin gel and protein base on processed semi-solid cheese analogues were studied through microstructure, texture, rheology, thermal analysis and sensory evaluation. Scanning electron microscopy revealed differences in the microstructure of processed cheese analogues. Samples made with full-fat contained higher concentrations of fat globules and were denser compared with low-fat cheese analogues with or without pectin gel. The pectin gel in the products acted as a linkage with other ingredients and made the products more compact and had less cavity compared with the products without pectin gel added. On rheological analysis, the full-fat products manifested a more solid-like form. The storage modulus of pectin gel sample was higher than that without pectin gel. All the samples' rheological parameters were depending on the oscillatory frequency and temperature. In low-fat samples, pectin gel added or not affected the hardness, gumminess, chewiness and adhesiveness significantly. The pectin gel addition show positive effect to the texture profile of the low-fat cheese analogues. Through thermal analysis, the meltability and glass transition temperature of the processed cheese analogues were measured. The low-fat cheese analogue with pectin gel addition got the higher texture and mouthfeel scores through sensory evaluation.     

Effect of virtual eating environment on consumers’ evaluations of healthy and unhealthy snacks

Immersive technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality have been recently explored in the field of food consumption studies from different perspectives. The present study utilized virtual reality technology in a within-subject experiment with three conditions to examine whether a varying virtual eating environment can alter consumers’ emotional responses (positive, negative, neutral) to the eating situation and whether the resulting emotional responses correlate with consumers’ wanting, liking, and hedonic evaluations of healthy and unhealthy snacks. In addition, the study analyzed whether a virtual eating environment that generates a positive emotional response can raise consumers’ rating of a healthy snack to the same level as an unhealthy snack consumed in a plain, unimmersed environment. The results showed a correlation between positive emotional responses and the pre-tasting evaluations of both snacks. In terms of hedonic evaluations, positive emotional responses correlated mainly with consumers’ evaluation of the unhealthy snack. When pre-tasting wanting and liking evaluations are compared between experimental conditions, the results indicate that a healthy snack is rated higher in a virtual reality environment that induces a more positive emotional response. The healthy snack was also rated at the same level as the unhealthy snack consumed in a plain environment. No differences between conditions were observed in consumers’ hedonic evaluations of the products. EEG and heart rate measurement results indicate that this might be because tasting a healthy snack generates more cognitive processing than an unhealthy snack. This might reduce the influence of the virtual eating environment on consumers’ evaluations. To conclude, virtual reality technologies might have the potential to support consumers’ eating experiences and healthy food choices by improving their evaluations of the products.     

乳酸菌胞外多糖对低脂Mozzarella奶酪质构、微观结构等品质的影响

目的 研究乳酸菌胞外多糖对低脂Mozzarella奶酪质构等品质特性的影响。方法 在脱除50%乳脂肪的原料中加入0.5%乳酸菌胞外多糖制作低脂Mozzarella奶酪, 同时以全脂Mozzarella奶酪和低脂Mozzarella奶酪为对照, 对Mozzarella奶酪成熟过程中的硬度、弹性、胶黏性、咀嚼性、融化性、油脂析出性、微观结构及感官评分等指标进行分析。结果 0.5%乳酸菌胞外多糖提高了低脂Mozzarella奶酪的水分含量、出品率, 改善了低脂Mozzarella奶酪致密的结构, 形成了类似全脂Mozzarella奶酪疏松、光滑的组织结构, 降低了低脂Mozzarella奶酪的硬度、胶黏性和咀嚼性, 提高了弹性、融化化性和油脂析出, 成熟90 d加入多糖低脂Mozzarella奶酪的滋味和气味、组织状态、色泽接近全脂Mozzarella奶酪。结论 乳酸菌胞外多糖可以提高低脂Mozzarella奶酪的水分含量和出品率, 改善低脂Mozzarella奶酪的组织结构和质构特性。     

FAT REPLACERS IN LOW-FAT MEXICAN MANCHEGO CHEESE

Low-fat Manchego cheeses (15 g fat/L milk) were prepared with three commercial fat replacers consisting of low methoxyl pectin (LMP), whey protein concentrate (WPC) and microparticulated whey protein (MWP). A low-fat cheese (15 g fat/L milk) without added fat replacer and a full-fat cheese (30 g fat/L milk) were prepared as controls. Cheeses were matured thirty days prior to instrumental texture profile analysis, microstructure analysis, and discriminative sensory evaluation. Scanning electron micrographs showed that the low-fat cheeses incorporating the LMP and WPC fat replacers lost the compact and dense protein matrix characteristic of the low-fat control cheese and exhibited hardness, springiness, cohesiveness and chewiness similar to the full-fat control cheese. No significant difference was found in the sensory characteristics between the full-fat control cheese and the cheese incorporating WPC.     

Rheology, microstructure, and functionality of low-fat Iranian white cheese made with different concentrations of rennet

A batch of full-fat (23% target fat) and 3 batches of low-fat (6% target fat) Iranian white cheese with different rennet concentrations (1-, 2-, and 3-fold the normal usage) were produced to study the effect of fat content reduction and promoted proteolysis on the textural and functional properties of the product. Cheese samples were analyzed with respect to their rheological parameters (uniaxial compression and small amplitude oscillatory shear), meltability, microstructure, and sensory characteristics. Reduction of fat content from 23 to 6% had adverse effects on the texture, functionality, cheese-making yield, and sensory characteristics of Iranian white cheese. Fat reduction increased the instrumental hardness parameters (storage modulus, stress at fracture, and Young's modulus of elasticity), decreased the cheese meltability and yield, and made the microstructure more compact. Doubling the rennet concentration reduced values of instrumental hardness parameters, increased the meltability, and improved the sensory impression of texture. Although increasing the rennet concentration to 2-fold the normal usage resembled somewhat the low-fat cheese to its full-fat counterpart, it appeared to cause more reduction in yield. Increasing the rennet concentration 3-fold the normal usage produced a product slightly more elastic than the low-fat cheese with normal concentration of rennet. Increasing the rennet concentration to 2-fold the normal usage was useful for improving the textural, functional, and sensory properties of low-fat Iranian white cheese.     

Flavour-enhancement of low-fat Kashkaval cheese using heat-or freeze-shocked Lactobacillus delbrueckii var. helveticus cultures

Kashkaval cheese of different fat contents was manufactured using heat- or freeze-shocked cultures of Lactobacillus delbrueckii var. helveticus added at a level of 2% to cheese milk prior to renneting. Levels of moisture, total N, salt or titratable acidity of cheeses with different fat levels were different. Proteolysis and lipolysis in low-fat Kashkaval cheese without additives were lower than those found in full-fat cheese. Incorporation of heat- or freeze-shocked L. delbrueckii var. helveticus cultures into milk of low-fat cheese greatly enhanced proteolysis and increased slightly the levels of free fatty acids. Regular low fat cheese did not develop adequate Kashkaval cheese flavour and the cheese was firm. However, addition of heat- or freeze-shocked cultures increased the flavour intensity and improved body and texture of the resultant cheese, yielding low-fat cheese with flavour intensity and body characteristics similar to those of standard fat cheese at each stage of ripening.     

Predictors of the consistency between healthy snack choice intentions and actual behaviour

The present study investigated the factors that affect the intention–behaviour consistency of healthy snack choices. Intended snack choice was assessed by asking participants (N = 538) to choose a snack on paper, out of 8 snacks (4 healthy, e.g. melon and gingerbread, and 4 unhealthy, e.g. crisps and chocolate). The next day participants chose one out of 8 different snacks for actual consumption. Participants completed a questionnaire about attitudes towards taste and health, habitual snack use, self-control, anticipated regret, and pleasantness of the snacks. Results showed that 24% of the participants with a healthy snack choice intention chose an unhealthy snack instead. Female gender, a high education level, a strong habitual healthy snack use, and a strong self-control increased the healthy intention–behaviour consistency. To facilitate healthy choices, interventions should target males and lower educated people, and focus on increasing their healthy snacking habit and self-control.